rear window relays

[66coupekcmo]

I am currently working on getting my rear windows working again. The relays are bad, they click but that's it. I went and picked up a pair 40amp 12v relays to see if i can get those to work before having the old ones rebuilt. The terminals are removed from the casing so i do not have to do any splicing but I am lacking the knowledge of knowing the source of each wire and putting them in the right spot as well. I have the wiring diagram but am still having trouble and just end up guessing on where the wire might go. Has anyone has does this before?? Or knows where the wires should go would be a great help!!

[RMAENV]

Dan Szwarc the site administrator has done numerous relay responses. He is the expert here on relays. I am definitely electrically challenged but this might help you.....

[Dan Szwarc]

I think one can google how a relay work on the internet or enough basic info. Exactly how Lincoln relays are built is another story.

[denizen44]

You may find answers in this thread.

[Dan Szwarc]

66s already have relays installed for the rear windows. He probably wants to learn how to determine the original relay pinout.

[LC67Vert]

40 amps seems like too much juice, I'm thinking 30 amps should be enough. Have you put power directly to the motor to check it while bypassing the relay?

[Dan Szwarc]

40A relays are fine. You can use 20 amp relays. They won't provide more current. That's just the maximum they are rated to carry. Window motors are around 5-7amps and maybe a little more when stalled.

[66coupekcmo]

So those relays did not work. I ordered relays from Lincoln land and sent originals to them. I got the new ones in over the weekend. I installed them and I'm getting the same thing. The relays just click and no movement from both rear windows. I took pictures of the wires when i removed them from the case when i tried the cheap relays, so i know they are in right spot (plus i only tried this on the driver side). I've been battling a cold so i haven't done any other trouble shooting. What else could keep the rear windows from operating? The switches in the back do not work for either side but the switches on the driver's door are good. The motors work, I put a battery to both and they went up and down no problem. The bypass switch is bad but whoever had the car last just taped two of the three wires together so the can windows remain operational. Could this just be a bad ground somewhere??

[Dan Szwarc]

The relays are not the problem if jumpering power to their outputs doesn't make the windows work.

I'm dealing with a 66 convertible that has no window function for the rears, so far. I will figure out out. Maybe you'll see a post about it.

[Bondo Bob]

I have the same problem on a 1968, front windows were slow fixed the safety relay and bypass switch, replaced all switches. Now the fronts fly and work as designed but no movement on the rears and they were working fine before I fixed the front. The relays click but no action. Weird, grounds are good, white wire has constant 12 volts so relays have power switches are activationg them but no motor movement. Help LOL

Bondo Bob

[Dan Szwarc]

Swap the opposite relay behind the seat to determine if the relay contacts themselves are the issue (outer to outer, inner to inner, etc.).

Watch the door light for dimming when pushing the switch to verify that there is a voltage drop from motor current. No dimming means no power going to the motor.

Actuate the windows up and down, even if all the way up. Sometimes, they hit bad spots in the brushes from sitting. Sometimes the windows jam at the extremes. Etc.

There’s probably a thousand threads on how to diagnose 60s windows. I’ve read them all. I wrote half of them.

[TonyC]

I'm not quite so well-versed on relays as Dan...but kcmo, you said in your first post that the relays click. If they click with both positions of the switch, they are working. If you don't hear clicks, then they go bad.

Keep in mind that there are four relays back there, two for each window: One controls the down circuit and one controls the up circuit.

I'm thinking any problems you have are not in the relays. Sounds like a wiring problem...and considering the raping of the master-control wiring by a prior owner, I'm almost certain it's a wiring problem. I'd almost bet the Bypass would work if the wiring hadn't been molested; somebody just wanted the windows to work regardless of key presence. Surprising the car hasn't sparked a door/dash fire by now, depending on how long ago that rape occurred.

If I were closer, I'd offer my mad-surgeon skills to help you out. However...is "kcmo" a hint of where you are? If so, I'm only 3 hours from you.

Rob, nice breakdown of the universal aftermarket relay design! I think that can actually be useful to me one day. It's funny how Rostra emphasized that a 5-prong relay had to be used in their cruise control system for the "Engaged" light in the control switch to be used, when the 87a prong was not even used in their setup. I got a 4-prong relay, absent a tab at 87a, and used that...and it worked. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, see my post on the Rostra 1223 Cruise Control in the "Customizing" category.)

---Tony